Mercedes has officially withdrawn its appeal against the time penalty imposed on George Russell during the Monaco Grand Prix earlier this month. The decision means the British driver will not see his race result from the principality reconsidered.
Russell was one of five drivers penalised for pit-lane speeding on 7 June. A subsequent failure by Mercedes to correctly serve his initial penalty led to a further drive-through sanction, ultimately pushing him out of the points.
Championship leaders Mercedes had initially lodged a ‘right of review’ after Alpine’s Pierre Gasly successfully had his Monaco podium reinstated. Formula One’s governing body accepted there were inaccuracies in the pit-lane speeding measurements that led to Gasly being demoted from third to seventh with two separate five-second penalties.
While McLaren, whose driver Oscar Piastri had already served penalties for the same offence, and Red Bull continue with their separate protests lodged with the FIA Court of Appeal, Mercedes has opted not to pursue the matter further.
In a statement, Mercedes confirmed: "We can confirm we have withdrawn our Right of Review submission relating to the penalties received and served by George Russell during the Monaco Grand Prix.
"Following the decision to rescind Pierre Gasly’s time penalty it was important for us to explore all available options to address the impact of George’s pit-lane speeding penalty on his race result.
"We had a limited time window in which to apply for the right of review during the race weekend in Barcelona, and did so in order to reserve our position in this regard.
"Our subsequent collaborative discussion with FIA and Formula 1 has shown their determination to review the unique circumstances arising from the Monaco Grand Prix and to proactively address the factors that caused them.
"In the face of this clear determination, we have concluded that further pursuit of our right of review application will not serve our team or the sport and thus we have withdrawn our submission."
